fireemblemfandomcom-20200223-history
Maria
Maria is a playable character in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, Mystery of the Emblem, Shadow Dragon, and New Mystery of the Emblem. She is the youngest member of the royal family of Macedon and the younger sister of Michalis and Minerva. She is also a Cleric who becomes a hostage to secure Macedon's allegiance with Dolhr. Profile War of Shadows Before the war, Maria lived in peace in Macedon, which was quiet and prosperous. She adored her father and older siblings, Michalis and Minerva. As Dolhr rose to power, Michalis murdered their father, King Osmond. According to the designers notes, Michalis said that it was the work of an Archanean assassin, justifying his alliance with Dolhr. Maria was unaware of the true nature of her father's death at the time of Michalis' coronation, and supported him. After Michalis seized control of Macedon, he approached Maria, explaining to her that Macedon would have faced a crisis if Macedon did not become Dolhr's ally, and resolves to make Maria a hostage for Dolhr. Maria agrees, trying to protect the citizens of Macedon for her brother. However, Michalis lied, as his primary reason for imprisoning Maria was to keep Minerva under control. When Minerva discovered that Maria was taken hostage, she realized that Michalis murdered their father, but is forced to fight with Macedon to keep Maria alive. Maria then stays as a hostage in Castle Deil in occupied Archanea. According to the timelines, this may have been a period of six years. Minerva continues to serve Dolhr and concedes to her superior generals, such as Harmein, and the general of Castle Deil, Zharov, until she decides to lead a revolt against her brother. She sends her subordinate Catria to Marth to request that he rescue Maria from Castle Deil. When Marth releases Maria from her imprisonment, she thanks him and decides that she is going to join him in battle, as she is tired of feeling helpless. After Maria is rescued, Minerva is able to join Marth as well. When Marth's armies begin to enter Macedon. If Maria enters battle with Michalis, he is shocked to see her on the battlefield. Maria then continues to assist Marth and his army until the war is over. War of Heroes Once the war ends, Maria travels to Khadein to study there before returning to her Macedon to serve her people as a cleric. Once she returns, she devotes herself to ensuring her brother Michalis recovers from the grievous injuries he sustained from battling Minerva, who could not bring herself to kill him. Despite what he has done, Maria still cares about Michalis and she stays by his bedside until he recovers, often crying and praying. When Michalis awakes, Maria reminds him of an angel, and he has a change of heart. Soon after, she is captured by assassins sent by Gharnef. Michalis attempts to rescue her and battles Gharnef, but Maria does not see the outcome as she is hypnotized by Gharnef before the battle ends. As she is of pure noble blood, Gharnef plans to use her life force, along with that of Elice, Lena, and Nyna to fully resurrect Medeus. If the Shield of Seals has not been obtained, Maria and the other kidnapped Bishops come to Marth after Hardin has been defeated and tell him that they have defeated Gharnef with their combined strength. They urge Marth to return to Altea and live with what time he has left. In reality, however, Maria and the other Bishops are illusions, and Maria and the Bishops are sacrificed to Medeus, who revives and takes over the world. If the Shield of Seals is restored, Marth and his army attempt to defeat Medeus, who is protected by Maria and the other hypnotized bishops. As Maria is to be sacrificed to Medeus, Marth and his army are able to intervene, during which Minerva wakes her from Gharnef's hypnosis. After the defeat of Medeus, Maria likely learns that Michalis has died. After accepting the loss, Maria lives peacefully at Lena's monastery with Minerva and Julian, caring for orphans. In New Mystery of the Emblem, Michalis can survive, and Maria wishes to talk with him and Minerva after the war. Personality Maria is cheerful, optimistic, and stubborn. She loves her siblings and will do anything she can to help them, even willingly becoming a hostage for Michalis. Maria is new to the battlefield, but her determination is shown when she refuses to leave the battlefield despite Minerva's concern, insisting that she wants to stay with her sister and become strong enough to protect herself. Even though she does not enjoy fighting, she dreams of becoming as strong as her older siblings, aspiring to be like them to be able to protect them. Maria does all she can to assist her sister and Marth's army in the war, and even participates in encouraging Jake to join them with several other females. This prompts Minerva to say that she is naive, telling her that war is not like the stories of princes and damsels that Maria enjoys, which is supported by Maria calling Marth dashing. Maria counters Minerva by saying that she is sick of being helpless, and she will not leave the battlefield because she wants to stay with her. Additionally, Maria may have something of a crush on Marth. Maria's benevolent and selfless nature is shown as well when she later nurses her brother back to health, holding no ill will against him, despite his killing of their father and keeping her in jeopardy during the first war. Maria's love for her brother is so great that she does not leave his bedside, desperately praying over him until she cries. Her empathy serves as the biggest catalyst for Michalis’s subsequent change of heart, which makes her indirectly responsible for Minerva's rescue by his hands and his assist in the defeat of Gharnef in the second war. Maria's love for her sister is equally great, as Maria is eager to share with Minerva that she has become a soldier, and Minerva is able to wake her from Gharnef's hypnosis. Maria reveals to Minerva that she genuinely cares about her and Michalis and she just wants her and her siblings to be a happy family again. Despite her incredible benevolence, Maria is, however, still young. She is also honest and outspoken, and her catchphrase is "No protesting!" In-Game ''Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light Recruitment ]] |} *'Details:' Maria is locked in the central room of Castle Deil, so a Door Key or a Thief should be brought to free her. *'Note:' Maria must be recruited to recruit Minerva. Base Stats Growth Rates |0% |0% |0% |20% |30% |70% |0% |0% |} Promotion Overall In ''Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, Maria is comparable to Lena, the earlier Priest, since both characters have nonexistent growth rates for HP, Magic, Skill, and Defense. Maria has marginally better starting stats in HP, Magic, and Defense though, while Lena bests her in Skill, Speed, and Luck. Since Maria joins later than both Lena and Wrys and is rather under-leveled, players may often bypass her. While being more defensive than Lena, Maria is nearly identical to Lena in terms of utility, except for being unable to use Hammerne. However, Maria is noted for having a high growth rate for Weapon Level, which gives her somewhat of an advantage over Lena, as she can gain faster levels for wielding stronger staves; this is all useless however, if Lena already has a high weapon level before Maria joins. ''Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem Recruitment ]] ; Book 1 |} *'Details:' Maria is locked in the central room of Castle Deil, so a Door Key or a Thief should be brought to free her. *'Note:' Maria must be recruited to recruit Minerva. If she is killed as an enemy, Minerva will begin to attack the player units. ; Book 2 |} *'Details:' Maria is adjacent to Medeus's right side. *'Note:' If Medeus is killed while Maria is still an enemy, Medeus may devour her and recover Health Points. Base Stats |-|Book 1= |-|Book 2= Growth Rates |-|Book 1= |10% |10% |10% |30% |30% |70% |0% |3% |} |-|Book 2= |10% |10% |10% |20% |30% |70% |10% |3% |} Promotion Gains '''Note: Relevant in Book 1 only' Support Relationships |} |} Overall In Mystery of the Emblem Book 1, Maria's growth rates have been slightly raised, possibly to improve her low base stats. Earlier healers are still available, however, and Lena has better base stats. Statistically, Maria has worse Magic, Skill, Luck, and Defense compared to Lena, but superior growth rates for Speed and Weapon Level. Despite her relative weaknesses, Maria can support her sister Minerva whenever she is in range, which can be useful if the player is using Minerva. In Book 2, Maria will most likely be bypassed due to her joining during the last part of the last chapter with poor base stats, although like the other Bishops, she does possess some limited staff utility with her Recover Staff. However, she must be moved to safety or she risks being easily killed by the dragons in the chapter. ''Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon Recruitment ]] |} *Maria is the only member of ''House Macedon *'Details:' Maria locked inside a cell in the castle, so a Door Key or a Thief should be brought to free her. *'Note:' As she is only a hostage, Maria is not an active enemy unit - she will not move, talk to Marth on her own accord, or heal wounded enemy units, even if they are adjacent to her. Maria must be recruited to recruit Minerva, and if she is killed as an enemy, Minerva will attack the player units in her range. Base Stats Growth Rates |-|Cleric= |15% |0% |20% |25% |25% |75% |0% |50% |} |-|Bishop= |15% |0% |30% |30% |25% |75% |0% |40% |} Reclassing Options |-|Pegasus Knight/Falcon Knight= |25% |10% |0% |30% |30% |75% |5% |20% |} |-|Dracoknight= |35% |10% |0% |30% |30% |75% |5% |20% |} |-|Archer/Sniper= |35% |10% |0% |30% |35% |75% |5% |10% |} |-|Myrmidon/Swordmaster= |45% |10% |0% |30% |30% |75% |0% |15% |} |-|Mage= |15% |0% |40% |30% |20% |75% |0% |30% |} |-|Sage= |15% |0% |30% |30% |25% |75% |0% |40% |} |-|Paladin= |35% |15% |0% |35% |15% |75% |10% |15% |} Support Relationships ; Supports |} ; Supported by |} Overall In Shadow Dragon, Maria has slighty higher growths than Lena and Wrys but they are still very low. Additionally, her base stats are very low, and her weapon level has been lowered from the original two games, so she will end up very comparable to Lena when leveled, with slightly higher Defense, Resistance, and health points, but overall lower combat stats. Her resistance and luck are easily her highest stats, allowing her to take most magical attacks without damage, possibly making her a good candidate for Starlight when promoted, and she will be able to use Aura if her weapon level is high enough. Her Reclassing options are fairly limited though, as Maria's base stats are too weak for offensive combat. Reclassing her can improve her health and defense, but her strength growth will be very low regardless of her class. Maria and Minerva can also support each other. Maria also gains a one-sided support bonus from her rescuer Marth, and gives a one-sided support bonus to Jake. Maria is one of few candidates to use the Aum Staff as she is a Princess, if she has an A in staves. Elice holds this distinction with her, as well as Caeda and Minerva, if they have been reclassed. ''Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem Recruitment |} *'Details:' Maria is adjacent to Medeus's right side. *'Note:' As an enemy Bishop, Maria may heal the dragons in the chapter with her Physic staff, but she will not move or attack. If Medeus is killed while Maria is still an enemy, he may devour her to replenish his Health Points. Base Stats ''*''0 as an enemy unit ''**''Dropped if killed. Growth Rates 'Bishop' |35% |0% |40% |40% |35% |75% |5% |40% |} Reclassing Options (Unused) *'Note:' As Maria is recruited in the Final Chapter, she cannot be reclassed while she still has the opportunity to Level Up. She can be reclassed after the game's conclusion in various modes, and she will receive the bonuses and deductions appropriate for the class, but as she cannot Level in those modes, so her growth rates in these classes are unused. The only way to permanently reclass her is to hack the game. |-|Paladin= |55% |15% |10% |45% |25% |75% |35% |15% |} |-|Dracoknight= |45% |10% |5% |40% |40% |75% |30% |20% |} |-|Sniper= |55% |10% |10% |40% |45% |75% |30% |10% |} |-|General= |75% |15% |5% |40% |15% |75% |50% |10% |} |-|Swordmaster= |55% |10% |10% |40% |45% |75% |25% |15% |} |-|Sage= |35% |0% |40% |40% |35% |75% |5% |40% |} Support Relationships ; Supports |} ; Supported by |} Overall In ''New Mystery of the Emblem, Maria's base stats have been raised slightly and her growth rates have been raised significantly. However, she is only available in the very last chapter with very low base stats, but she is still a useful healer due to coming with a Physic Staff, which allows her to heal from safety. Recruiting Maria may be useful due to her having an automatic A rank support with both Minerva and Michalis, if they are to be used in the Final chapter and in other modes. Regardless of whether she is going to be developed as a unit, she must immediately be moved to safety, as she is in danger of being killed by the powerful enemies in the chapter, especially in the harder modes. ''Fire Emblem Heroes ;Minerva's Sister :''Princess of Macedon. Younger sister of Minerva and Michalis, whom she loves dearly. Appears in Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem. Base Stats Rarity: Staff |Skill= Heal }} Staff |Skill= Mend Imbue }} Staff |Skill= Physic Miracle }} Skills Overall Maria is a summonable character in Fire Emblem Heroes, available from the launch of the game In what is perhaps her most prominent appearance to date. She is available in both 4 and 5 star rarities. Maria is distinguishable from other available healers by her relatively high speed. Alongside Bridal Blessings Lyn, she has the potential to be fastest staff user in the game, which will prevent her from being doubled by most units and often double attacking herself. This will make her a good candidate for offensive builds such as the use of Wrathful Staff. She will have relatively high resistance as well, allowing her to soak most magical attacks. Maria comes with the valuable Miracle skill, which allows her to survive Lethal damage with 1 hit point, and Physic, which allows her to heal from a space away. Her high speed might be an allusion to her eager personality. At the cost of her high speed and resistance, however, Maria suffers from low attack and defense, meaning even with staff upgrades such as Wrathful Staff, she may not deal very much damage, and a low defense means she must be kept away from physical attacks at all costs. Quotes Recruitment in Mystery of the Emblem Book 1 Event Recap (Shadow Dragon) No protesting! Maria Steps Up *'Talk with Minerva in ''Shadow Dragon' '''Maria': Sister! Minerva: Maria... Are you all right? Maria: Fine. Have you heard? Marth made me one of his soldiers! Well... I made him make me one. Minerva: ...What am I going to do with you? Listen to me, Maria... You cannot stay here. It’s too dangerous. Real war is nothing like your stories of princes and damsels. Maria: I’m not going anywhere! I want to stay with you! Minerva: Maria, you’re being selfish- Maria: I am not! I’m just...sick of being helpless. I’ve burdened you long enough. How can I ever help you if you don’t give me a chance to be strong? I’m staying here and fighting! No protesting! Minerva: ...Ha ha. Somehow I knew you would say that. All right, Maria. If you feel that strongly about it, who am I to stop you? All I ask is that you be careful. If you need help, you come find me. Understood? Maria: Of course! Thank you, Sister! Maria vs Michalis Maria Illusion As an Enemy in Mystery of the Emblem Book 2 Recruitment in Mystery of the Emblem Book 2 Minerva: Maria! Please open your eyes. It’s me, Minerva! Be strong! Maria: Uh... Oh... Minerva, sister... Ahh, Medeus, he... Minerva: Everything’s alright now, relax. I’m sorry, Maria, for letting you experience all this... Maria: Sister... I'm scared... so scared. Oh! How is brother? He fought with Gharnef to rescue me. Minerva: Michalis, he... He’s alright, Maria, don't worry. Maria: Really? Then, when we return home, will we be like one big family again? That’s great, sister. Oh, I really want to see brother again. Minerva: Maria... Regarding Maria Death Quotes ''Heroes'' :Maria/Heroes Quotes Epilogue Mystery of the Emblem Book 1 Minerva's sister Maria She studied at Khadein and then returned to Macedon. As a sister she served her citizens. Book 2 Minerva’s sister Maria At Lena’s monastery she cared for the orphans who had lost their parents. Shadow Dragon Petit Princess After studying in Khadein for a spell, Maria returned to Macedon to serve her people as a cleric. New Mystery of the Emblem Minerva's Sister Maria cared after war orphans at a convent. The children loved her as a big sister Non-Canon Appearances ''Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light'' Manga In the Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light manga, Maria's role is identical to that of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light; she is held hostage to force Minerva into servitude, and is rescued by Marth, which allows Minerva to join him. After which, Maria assists with healing along with the army's other clerics for the remainder of Marth's quest. While being held hostage, Maria responds only to Marth. When she sees a soldier foreign to her enter her cell, she hides behinds the door and waits for him to enter, jumping out from behind the door and hitting him over the head with her staff, knocking him to the floor. This may be a reference to her being an Enemy Unit before being approached by Marth, as she does not know who to trust. Maria also ignores Caeda, as she does not know her, and Marth has to introduce himself before Maria realizes that she is being rescued, which may be a reference to how Maria is recruited. Maria then, almost immediately, asks Marth if he has a girlfriend; a question he is saved from answering by Minerva's appearance, as Maria runs up to Minerva and hugs her. Maria later assists Lena in healing Cain, but is slightly unnerved by Abel, as his demeanor reminds her of Michalis. Nevertheless, Maria is extremely energetic, and insists on knowing if Marth has a girlfriend, much to Caeda's discomfort. When Marth and party enter a town, she dons a red dress as a "disguise", but nearly gives away the party's cover with her enthusiasm, which Gordin scolds her for. Ultimately, Gordin and Draug are unable to hold her, and she approaches Caeda, who she addresses as "Big Sister" in hopes of playing with her, catching Caeda offguard with her friendliness. On the whole, in the manga she assists with healing, and is seen the most with Minerva. Fire Emblem Trading Card Game Maria appears as a Unit card in Sets 5 and 6 of the Fire Emblem Trading Card Game. She appears as Card 35 in Set 5 as a Cleric and has no stars in rarity, meaning she is a faily common card. In Set 6 Maria is card 70 and appears as a Bishop but only with a staff as her starting weapon, and 1 star in rarity. Her staff looks most like the Trading Card Game version of the Fortify staff, but it holds a striking resemblance to the Aum Staff in its in-game depiction, but Maria can not use the Aum Staff in this appearance. ''Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher) Maria is illustrated in the trading card game with the following cards: Trivia *In the Event Recap of ''Shadow Dragon, Maria's recruitment is shown to take place outdoors, a possible mistake by the developers. *Maria, along with Lena and Elice, has been both a Priest and a Cleric. While they are essentially the same class, Priests are usually male. *In New Mystery of the Emblem, Maria drops her Physic staff if killed as an enemy, a reference to her only having a Recover staff in Mystery of the Emblem. *Strangely, in New Mystery of the Emblem, Maria can only be recruited by Minerva, even if Michalis was recruited, even though he spends the majority of the war searching for her and only wanted Minerva to rescue Maria in his place. **It is revealed in a Base Conversation between Michalis and Kris that Michalis intended to leave Macedon after saving Maria. He had concluded that he had lost the right to speak to Maria and that only Minerva deserved to speak to her after her rescue. *In Takayashiki Hideo's novel adaptation of Mystery of the Emblem, Michalis is at least 25 years old in Book 2. While Minerva is younger than him, their similar statures suggests that they are not very far apart, but Maria appears much younger, in stature and in facial features, than both of them. Book 2 is only 2 to 3 years after Book 1, where Maria is referred to as a child, and in Book 2 Maria still has a childlike disposition and appearance. Thus, according to the novel, Maria may be at at a very large age difference from her siblings. *According to Minerva's support with Kris in New Mystery of the Emblem, all three siblings possess the same pendant with the House Macedon crest. This is likely the pendant Maria wears around her neck. *In Fire Emblem Heroes, Maria shares her English voice actress, Wendee Lee, with Veronica, Sophia and Lyndis. *in Fire Emblem Heroes, Maria, like all staff units, has unused lines for performing a critical strike, where she references her older siblings. These lines can be heard in the Illusory Dungeon mode, or when randomly entering a map with Maria deployed. Etymology Maria is an alternate spelling of the name Mary from the New Testament of the Bible, and is the usual form of Mary in many European languages. Its meaning is unknown, but its Egyptian origins suggest loved or beloved, while other theories suggest sea of bitterness, rebelliousness, and wished for child. Mary is a name held by many people in the New Testament, most importantly the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. This caused the name to become almost too holy for use before becoming a very widely used feminine name, even appearing as a masculine middle name. Maria, its namesake, and its alternate spelling Marie, has been a name held by of many Queens in many European countries, including England, Scotland, France, Portugal, Romania, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Sicily. Gallery Category:Playable characters Category:Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light characters Category:Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem characters Category:Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon characters Category:Archetypes Category:Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher) Characters Category:Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem characters Category:Fire Emblem Heroes Characters Category:Female Characters